Indigeny and Energetics is a redefinition of the historical process of the development of the sacred human relationship to land and nature. This relationship is universal, a global naturo-spiritual dynamic with social, political, technological and environmental ramifications. Application of these concepts redefines the primacy and importance of the indigenous human experience and projects a positive human developmental outcome that cannot take place without this redefinition.

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Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Canonizing A Predatory Missionary: Validating the Genocidal Mission System of Junipero Serra

This September 23rd, 2015, roamin catholic pope Francis is scheduled to canonize Junipero Serra, a predatory missionary that is gaining increased ire from indigenous peoples across Turtle Island, especially those like the Kizh whose Ancestors were directly and mortally impacted by the violence and brutality of the likes of Serra, other christian missionaries and the Spanish conquistadors.

The catholic cable tv channel, Eternal Word Television Network/EWTN and the Knights of Columbus have been running promotional programming to support the roamin catholic church's plan to canonize Serra and to promote his great legacy of evangelization, as they like to call it (the Knights of Criminal Columbus said the same about Criminal Columbus on their website
in the past, but that statement has seemingly been removed
from their website). EWTN is currently running a documentary over five days in half hour segments
called “Serra: Ever Forward, Never Back”, an arrogant fantasy of small screen cinematic
proportions.The Knights have posted a
short, but equally misleading and culturally insulting promotional video
entitled, “Blessed Junipero Serra: Apostle of California, Exemplar of
Evangelization”.

Organizer and activist, Toypurina Carac,
has been answering the roamin catholic church’s validation
of indigenous genocide by creating and sharing a powerful statement in the form
of a moveon.org petition that is very near its goal of 10,000 signatures to
convince the vatican and pope to reconsider their (in)sightless and
discompassionate plan.Ironic that the
vatican is calling the papal visit a “Mission of Love”.If you were to speak to those who are the offspring
of those who were brutalized by Serra’s predatory mission system, they have a
much different story to tell.

Pope Francis is coming to Washington, D.C. to canonize
Junipero Serra as a Saint. It is imperative he is enlightened to understand
that Father Serra was responsible for the deception, exploitation,
oppression, enslavement and genocide of thousands of Indigenous Californians,
ultimately resulting in the largest ethnic cleansing in North America.” Tweet the Knights at @KoC, EWTN at @EWTN and the pope at @Pontifex to let them know your perspectives on this important issue.

UPDATE:The petition was sent to pope Francis today Sept.17 at about 12noon. Toypurina Carac and others have organized and will speak at two press conferences in NY and Washington DC on the 21st and 22nd of Sept. respectively. Please let your networks know so that we can be of substantial support during the press conferences to help send a powerful message of support to our indigenous sisters and brothers and their blessed Ancestors who suffered tremendously at the hands and whims of Junipero Serra and his brutal system of land theft, exploitation and slavery.New York, Monday, September 21, 2015, 10:00 am- 12:00 noonSaint Peter’s Church…619 Lexington Avenue, NY 10022-4610. www.saintpeters.orgBalcony RoomWashington D.C., Tuesday, September 22, 2015 11:00 am- 1:00 pmPlymouth United Church of Christ, Washington D.C.; 5301 North Capitol St NE, Washington, DC 20011

6 comments:

I watched and recorded today's installment of the EWTN Serra production and was again disappointed at the arrogance, cultural insult and prettified narrative of colonialism and exploitation. There was constant devaluing of indigenous culture along with the embarrassing heroic construction of Serra.

In addition, the production portrayed the indigenous people as simpletons of very few words akin to the "natives" in Gilligan's Island. It is hard to take seriously a story that features indigenous characters that don't have the intelligence or agency to utilize their language while trying to make sense of the presence of foreigners like Serra, the Spanish soldiers and/or Serra's predatory compatriots.

This is not only a cruel distortion of history, but an insipid and juvenile attempt at representing indigenous peoples with full and complex cultural histories created by full and complex human beings.

I heard on the radio last evening that Pope Francis has already issued an apology to a group of indigenous cultures in South America for their cruel treatment at the hands of Catholic missionaries. So I am interested to know why he would not be doing the same thing here in North America instead of canonizing the compassionless, cruel, and ambition driven Junipero Serra.

If we spend our time apologizing for the atrosities forced upon every individual the Pope would not have time to eat or sleep. Christian Missionary crossed countless miles, killing countless people in order to bring God to the people. In addition to the intended message, mostly all Pagans were burned at the stake, until the Churches foundations brought up the combining the two stories.

Diane, this is one of the numerous glaring contradictions in the rhetoric of the pope, vatican and the roamin catholic church in general. It seems there is a major disconnect in the pope's mind and heart between what was stated in South America and what is being calculated in North America around the predatory missionary Junipero Serra. I hope that people, that catholics can see this glaring contradiction and address this as we move closer to a more aware and compassionately responsive world that can openly address the destruction of racist, sexist and anti-indigenous narratives and social systems and structures.

beck58, yes the apologies might go on for quite some time and I think they would be important if they came along with real systemic change in how power relationships and social, political and spiritual narratives are expressed. It is important that the actions of these predatory missionaries, drunk with cultural arrogance and exploitative intent, are reconciled and healed with serious considerations and actions toward decolonization, the honoring of treaties and the cessation of predatory mission work, evangelization and all forms of religious imperialism and privilege. Thank you for reading and sharing here.

I am so sorry that Ms. Beck 58 is a religious woman but feels the slavery, rape, torture, coerced conversions and ultimate genocide of my ancestors is something the Pope should not worry about. Serra was an Inquisitor and War Criminal, under the Doctrine of Discovery, his conquest was not divine; Europeans and Christians were not the "Chosen People" to vanquish, plunder and pillage as they did. This "evangelism" as the Pope calls it, was murder. Furthermore, we consider the terms Pagans, Savage, Heathen and Redskin to be insults. Our Spirits still live within us; this will be dealt with , in the Spirit World. This canonization is a scandal.

About Me

Ukumbwa Sauti, M.Ed. is a professor of cultural media studies, a facilitator of cultural media literacy and is fully engaged in research in areas of nature, media, indigenous culture and spirituality and the effects of modernity on the indigenous soul. He is trained in Indigenous African Spiritual Technologies in the Dagara tradition by Malidoma Some’ and Alwyn Thomas that includes ritual, numerology and divination. Ukumbwa completed the Dagara Elder Initiation in July of 2009. Ukumbwa is a member of East Coast Village in Cherry Plain, NY and a growing number of spiritual individuals and communities that are brave enough to know that the sustenance of human life on this earth is based upon a different and traditional, indigenous relationship with Nature and Spirit.
Ukumbwa is committed to engaging people and communities everywhere in a dialogue, a multilogue that informs, inspires, challenges and motivates us toward progressive and healing and balanced human behaviors with regard to each other and the natural world around us.